Top of the World
by StarryNinja
Summary: "You may think this may be a temporary thing for you, Biff, but this will forever be a reality to face every freaking day of your freaking life. Once you start, you can never quit. It's like an addiction. One that never breaks." Full summary inside.
1. Chapter 1

Top of the World

* * *

SUMMARY: _"You may think this may be a temporary thing for you, Biff, but this will forever be a reality to face every freaking day of your freaking life. Once you start, you can never quit. It's like an addiction. One that never breaks, because when you think it's getting crappy, it gets exciting and you get hooked on it all over again. Sure, it has it's consequences, but I'm willing to take a chance and be the hero. Or, in this case, the villain."_ It's Cassidy and Butch, the duo that everyone loves— er, hates. But this is a story that centers on them and only them. From start to finish, the moment they met to the moment they said goodbye. And then the stuff in between the years that they thought wouldn't matter in the years to come. A secret love affair; the truth about Cassidy's past revealed; the missions that tested their friendship; the people that they met; this is the story of two very different people, striving to make a change in the world before them. It's the story of Team Rocket and trials of love, life, truth, and the pursuit of happiness.

* * *

-**-Prologue: November 14, 2027**

"Damn poochyenas, won't stop barking..." Cassidy grumbled as she stepped out of the room, careful to not make any noise that would wake her sleeping daughter. She walked downstairs, making sure to remember to put Kingsley and Queenie outside to continue with their "barking-fest" without disturbing the family's sleeping patterns. Or put them back into their PokéBalls. Whichever she was in the mood for.

"Shut up, Kingsley! Don't wake up mom-oh. Hi mom." Cassidy's supposed-to-be-sleeping daughter said once she saw her mother standing in the doorway. Cassidy crossed her arms and sighed. Her daughter looked down and avoided her mom's eyes. She focused on the marble table instead of Cassidy's stony eyes.

"Josie, what in God's name are you doing in the kitchen late at night? You know you're supposed to be meeting Professor Evergreen tomorrow morning! Go to bed, now!" Cassidy screeched at her child. Josie nodded shamefully and muttered a quick "sorry" before heading upstairs.

Cassidy turned to her prized poocheyenas. "Josie's right, shut up." Kingsley responded with a "pooch, poocheyena!" Cassidy sighed and whipped out both Kingsley's and Queenie's PokéBalls. "Kingsley, if you don't stop barking, you won't go with Josie tomorrow and will stay in this PokéBall for the rest of the week. Understand?" The pokémon immediately stopped barking."Good, we're on the same agreement now." She patted his head and returned him to the PokéBall.

Just before Cassidy headed upstairs, a flash of red caught her attention. To turned to see her old memory scrapbook on the lying on the table, the frayed edges of the age-old book sticking out. She turned around to make sure Josie had gone back upstairs, then sauntered over to the marble table. She sat on the chair Josie had sat in, then flipped the book to the first page. An array of tattered papers and articles flew everywhere. Cassidy cursed under her breath and scrambled to her feet. She gathered the papers until one caught her eye. She pulled her hair back and grabbed the old newspaper. Cassidy scanned the paper until she found the article that brought back memories.

**THIRTEEN POKEMON GONE MISSING FRIDAY EVENING; TEAM ROCKET SUSPECTED!**

She laughed when she remembered that day. It was her's and Butch's mission, and a successful one, at that. She could clearly remember the things that happened and why they happened that day. She could remember when Butch tied up Nurse Joy, knocked her out with a drug that made her forget everything that day. One by one, the thirteen pokémon became theirs. Powerful ones, too. Poliwhirls, Absols, a Crobat, Ninetails, a Tropius, and even a Raichu. All theirs and not those other twerps'.

"Mom?" Cassidy jumped and turned around.

"Josie, I told you to- oh, hey Olivia. What's up, darling?" Cassidy closed up her memory book and slipped it behind her back. Olivia raised an eyebrow and peered over Cassidy's shoulder. Cassidy turned around and dug the memory book into her skin in hopes that Olivia wouldn't see.

"Mom...? What's behind your back?" Olivia asked. Cassidy sighed and ignored her. "Liv, what do you want? You need to go to bed now, darling," Cassidy said. Olivia crossed her arms and stood in front of the stairway and glared at her mom. She rolled her eyes and walked to her mom and meandered around Cassidy in a curious manner. She stopped at the chair parallel to her mom's seat.

"Mom, can I finish my goddamn thought? Thanks. Anyway, I was thinking. I'm seventeen. And I'm about to go into the world by myself with just Queenie. I've decided... and I'm just warning you before hand, as your opinion will not, and emphasis on not, change my decision. I'm joining Team Rocket," Olivia folded her hands and smiled weakly at her mother. Cassidy blinked and smirked. She pushed the book to Olivia and pointed to it, saying nothing. "Mom, say something. You're scaring me. What... what is this?" She flipped through the pages and stared at the jumbled mess of papers and pictures.

"Olivia, stay down here, let me tell you a story," Cassidy got up and walked to a kitchen cabinet. She grabbed two glasses and a wine bottle. She plopped back down and poured the wine into both glasses. She passed one to her daughter.

"...I'm not twenty-one yet. I can't drink," Olivia told her mom, gaping at her. Cassidy laughed. "Darling, you said you're joining Team Rocket, right?" Olivia nodded, then said, "So?"  
Cassidy stared at her daughter, "Olivia, you might as well drink up. First of all, I have a confession to make. That book right there? Its a memory book. Look at it, it'll tell you everything you need to know about my past." Olivia squinted and skimmed through the book until she found a picture. She gazed at her mom, then back to the photo, "Mom... that's... I mean, this is you." She showed the picture to her mom. It was of Cassidy, dressed in a black and red bikini (the Team Rocket colors, but then again, Olivia didn't know about that) with her partner hugging her and laughing. He sported black swim shorts and a white tank top. The duo were standing in front of the Porta Vista Beach.

"Olivia. This was one of my many missions with Butch, my partner back when I was a Team Rocket executive." Cassidy said while sipping her drink. Olivia widened her eyes. "You- you were in Team Rocket?"  
Cassidy nodded. Olivia sighed and took a sip of her drink. "Let me tell you about him, Butch. He was the only man that I trusted with my life. He proved this to be true, as he did save my life once. And maybe my innocence, too. But that was over twenty years ago."

Olivia looked at her mom, "You didn't trust dad?" Cassidy smiled, then frowned, "While, for one, if I did, I wouldn't have divorced him. Olivia, sweetie. What I'm about to tell you will break your heart. But it will make you understand everything about me and life itself. Everyone has a secret. My life itself is a secret. Only one other person knows everything about my life. Figures, I spent a decade of life alongside him. Darling, Daniel wasn't your father," At this, Olivia let out a cry.

"But mom...who is then?"  
"Let me tell you a story. Its about Team Rocket, as well, so listen up, kiddo." Cassidy sighed and sipped more of her wine. This was going to be a long night.

* * *

**-A/N: So, there's the prologue of my story. How is it? I'm a new writer to Pokemon, so I don't exactly how great it is. Just warning you, T for Teen. 'Cos I have a cursing habit in writing. Plus, violence and mentions of sex. This is my experiment on frame writing, which means this story will constantly go back and forth to Cassidy's Team Rocket days and Olivia's time. In one point it will come together, but I'm not going to spoil it for you readers. :) **

**v Review, you know you wanna. v**


	2. Chapter 2

Top of the World

* * *

SUMMARY: _"You may think this may be a temporary thing for you, Biff, but this will forever be a reality to face every freaking day of your freaking life. Once you start, you can never quit. It's like an addiction. One that never breaks, because when you think it's getting crappy, it gets exciting and you get hooked on it all over again. Sure, it has it's consequences, but I'm willing to take a chance and be the hero. Or, in this case, the villain."_ It's Cassidy and Butch, the duo that everyone loves— er, hates. But this is a story that centers on them and only them. From start to finish, the moment they met to the moment they said goodbye. And then the stuff in between the years that they thought wouldn't matter in the years to come. A secret love affair; the truth about Cassidy's past revealed; the missions that tested their friendship; the people that they met; this is the story of two very different people, striving to make a change in the world before them. It's the story of Team Rocket and trials of love, life, truth, and the pursuit of happiness.

* * *

**-Chapter One- January 9th, 1997 **

A young woman by the name of Cassidy fidgeted with her backpack while waiting for the drill sergeant, Viper, to arrive. It was a cold evening at the Team Rocket Academy, and she had forgot to bring a jacket from home. It was odd, being away from the large city of Saffron and being in the mountains... for Palkia's sake, it was the mountains! It was so...so...so unlike Cassidy to be up here. Regardless, she was glad to be here. The Team Rocket scout had told her if she didn't, she would regret not coming here in the years to come.

She cursed herself for bringing such a heavy bag! In the midst of her fixing the strap of her bag, the drill sergeant, Viper, tapped her shoulder. She jumped and muttered under her breath, "Shit!" She looked up and saw Viper glaring at her, visibly mad at her language. He said, "At least you were quiet. But I do _not _appreciate swearing." Cassidy rolled her eyes and muttered, "Asshole." Luckily, Viper ignored her. Cassidy stared into the distance, trying to ignore Viper as much as she could. But, really. Who could ignore the six-foot-four man towering over Cassidy's five-foot-five figure? Viper looked to the Team Rocket building, then back to Cassidy. "I'll be back. Don't do anything stupid," He warned. She laughed, "Stupid? Define stupid, Mr. Viper." She challenged.

Cassidy smirked and turned around to see the sun already setting. She thought to herself, _Maybe he's getting my partner..? _She turned back around and saw Viper walking towards her with a woman flanked to his side. She sported the red Team Rocket training jersey, signifying that she was indeed a trainee, just like Cassidy herself. Once she approached, she saw that the woman had vibrant red hair that was curled at the end. Her eyes were a dark blue, and by the way she was staring at Cassidy was as if she recognized her. Cassidy, apparently, didn't. She stuck out her hand to the woman to be civil, but already, Cassidy had a deep disliking to her.

The woman laughed and turned around. The first word that rang in her head was, _bitch. _"Oh, Cassie-Cass, you don't remember me? Just think, Cass," the woman then turned and gave a malicious smile, "It's Jessie-Jess. 'Member?" Cassidy already clenched her teeth at the sound of her voice. _It's Jessie, all right. _"Oh Cassidy, still the same as always. Glameow got your tongue, darling?"

"Oh Jessie, you never changed," Cassidy smiled, "You're still a bitch, as always." Jessie turned her head raised her eyebrows. "Oh? Is that so? Can't say the same for you. What _happened _ to you? You got so old, I mean seriously. You need to change your hair, as well. You've had that style since PokeTech."

"At least my hairstyle still looks good. And I thought your old hairstyle was bad. How's your mom?" Cassidy grinned, knowing she touched sensitive ground by mentioning her mother.

"Alive and still working in Team Rocket," Jessie said. Cassidy rolled her eyes, "No. I meant your real mom. The elite officer? The one who disappeared? Giovanni's little _whore._" At this, Jessie pounced on Cassidy, making Cassidy scream. Jessie slapped her three times, before Cassidy rolled over and punched her square in the nose. Jessie screamed and pulled Cassidy's hair, to which the other responded with pulling the other's hair as well. In unison, they said, "...Ow...ow...ow. Let go, let go, let go!" This caused both of them to pull on each others' hair even harder. "Take it back, you bitch!" Jessie screamed.

"Not unless you do first! Take it back!" Cassidy yelled back. Jessie stared at her and barked, "Take _what_ back?" Cassidy exasperated and screamed, "I don't know!"

Meanwhile, another drill sergeant arrived where Viper was standing and Jessie and Cassidy were... er... fighting. The other sergeant had arrived with two boys, both of which were at approximately the same height and had almost the same build. One of them, the one with turquoise-greenish hair, whispered to the other, "Damn. That's kinda hot... I hope the blond one's my partner. She's winning."

"Nah dude. The other one's sexier. Look at that! Did you see _that. _She's beating the shit out of your blondie." The other guy said.

The other drill sergeant, however, panicked when he saw the two girls fighting, "Viper? What the hell are you doing? Why are just standing there? Do something, dammit!" Viper looked at the other and smirked. "Kobra, do you not see this? This is not only hot, but this is actually a pretty good fight. We haven't had girls as tough as these two since, like Domino came to the academy. Plus, it's hot to see two hot girls fighting like this."

Kobra sweatdropped and murmured, "Careful, your hormones are showing..." Viper laughed, "Oh, that's not the only thing that's gonna be showing if this fight escalates, bud."

Kobra ignored his comment and blew from the whistle hanging from his neck. "ENOUGH!" Jessie and Cassidy, however, disregarded the sergeant. Kobra rolled up his sleeves and pushed the two girls apart from each other. "Damn, you guys are strong." Cassidy stopped trying to get at Jessie and Jessie stopped trying to fight Cassidy. Kobra let go of them. Cassidy lunged at Jessie, to which Kobra screamed, "HEY, hey, hey. Enough."

"Just warning her, sir. No harm done." Cassidy spat.

Kobra sighed and said, "What's your name, red-head?"

"Jessie, sir."

"What about you, blondie?"

"Cassidy."

"Jessie, James. James, Jessie. You guys are partners, blah blah blah. Go see Viper he's your consultant. Butch, Cassidy. Cassidy, Butch. Congrats. You guys are partners. I'm your consultant, meet me at the training course at exactly seven o'clock tomorrow morning." Kobra said in a bored manner. All four trainees sweatdropped as he left.

"I swear, I don't get paid enough for this..." Kobra muttered to Viper, as they headed towards the academy building.

As he left, the boy, James asked Cassidy and Jessie, "So, uh. What was the fight about?"

Jessie crossed her arms and glared at Cassidy, "Oh, nothing. Just Cassidy being a bitch _as _usual. Good luck, Hutch, handling her. You'll need it."

"It's BUTCH!" Butch corrected, "And- ow! Cassidy, that was my arm!"

"Yeah, well that was my hand, Biff. Your point? Let's go before Medusa here turns you into stone with her ugly face." Cassidy pulled Butch into the dormitory buildings, where they headed to their room. James, however, stood confused, "Wait, who's Medusa?"

Jessie sighed and did the same to James, mumbling under her breath, "It's a good thing you're cute, James."

* * *

**-A/N: Eh, I could've done better. Whatever. Review please!**

**How is it? I'm a new writer to Pokemon, so I don't exactly how great it is. Just warning you, T for Teen. 'Cos I have a cursing habit in writing. Plus, violence and mentions of sex. This is my experiment on frame writing, which means this story will constantly go back and forth to Cassidy's Team Rocket days and Olivia's time. In one point it will come together, but I'm not going to spoil it for you readers. :) **

**v Review, you know you wanna. v**


	3. Chapter 3

Top of the World

* * *

SUMMARY: _"You may think this may be a temporary thing for you, Biff, but this will forever be a reality to face every freaking day of your freaking life. Once you start, you can never quit. It's like an addiction. One that never breaks, because when you think it's getting crappy, it gets exciting and you get hooked on it all over again. Sure, it has it's consequences, but I'm willing to take a chance and be the hero. Or, in this case, the villain."_ It's Cassidy and Butch, the duo that everyone loves— er, hates. But this is a story that centers on them and only them. From start to finish, the moment they met to the moment they said goodbye. And then the stuff in between the years that they thought wouldn't matter in the years to come. A secret love affair; the truth about Cassidy's past revealed; the missions that tested their friendship; the people that they met; this is the story of two very different people, striving to make a change in the world before them. It's the story of Team Rocket and trials of love, life, truth, and the pursuit of happiness.

* * *

**-Chapter Two: ****November 14, 2027-**

"Wait. You mean to tell me- Jessie, _Jessie Morgan- _was a part of Team Rocket as well?" Olivia asked, in shock of what her her mother had told her. Olivia leaned back on her chair and closed her eyes, "James too? How can I not have known this? Why didn't you guys ever tell me? This would've been helpful information." Cassidy grabbed her daughter's hand and said, "Olivia, darling. Let's get on with the story, shall we?" Olivia nodded, her eyes still closed.

**-1997-**  
Cassidy and Butch arrived in their dorm room. The room, cozy and small, sported two twin-sized beds, a couch, and a TV. It had one bathroom (much to Cassidy's despair) and a tiny kitchen and table. It was almost like a small apartment rather than a dormitory, though it was rather miniscule compared to even a tiny apartment. Regardless, both Team Rocket trainees dropped their stuff near the door and headed to their beds. Butch sighed loudly as he noticed how comfortable the beds are. Cassidy, however, was not too pleased with how close the beds were to each other.

"Okay, Biff. Let's cover some of the basics here, shall we?" Cassidy stared at her partner, who was lying down on the bed in an awkward position. After he caught Cassidy's stare, he immediately stood up and laughed nervously. "Haha, yeah, the basics..."

"One: You do your laundry. I do mine. No vice-versa crap. Two: You respect my own private stuff. I respect yours. Three: I do not appreciate any guy who will try to ''make a move'' on me. One false move, Bobby, and I'm going straight to the boss. You clear? Good. I'm going to take a shower," Cassidy shot a glance back at Butch, who just stared back at her with an understanding look, "Oh, and, you might as well take the other bed. I hate being near the window."

Butch nodded. Cassidy meant business. And he liked that.

**xxx**

Cassidy stepped out of shower and dried her face with the towel, then dried her body. She wiped the fogged mirror and stared at her eyes. She knew one day those eyes will be the eyes of a traitor, of a thief. Of a cold-hearted bitch. She knew one day she'll betray everyone she becomes close to; just like she had with Jessie.

Cassidy, at age ten, was someone you'd expect to be a sweet, innocent girl. Already at the age of ten, she had the facade of an angel. Sure, she had a pretty face, maybe even beautiful. But deep down inside, she had a sense of evil. Long story short, her and Jessie became best friends. Both of which had the same personality, identical, even. Both were pretty girls, but both had the same evil lurking behind those innocent eyes. Except, Cassidy was different. She _used _Jessie, never intending to be "best friends forever" with her. Jessie, however, did believe with all her heart that she found someone that understood her and someone she that she could call her best friend. Cassidy, however, didn't. She played with her emotions and dropped her once she got bored. To her, Jessie was a toy. Something to play with until she was done.

In her young eyes, she regretted doing that to Jessie. It seemed so... cold. But as she grew older, she hated Jessie so much. For making her feel regret for the very first time. And she hated it. She hated Jessie so much. Cassidy never hated anyone as much as that. And that hatred grew as well, feeding Cassidy's inner demon to become something bigger than it was before.

And it brought her here today, at Team Rocket. Her reflection in the mirror told all; her eyes revealed her true colors. And that's why she avoided Butch's eyes all day long.

**xxx**

Cassidy crept out of the bathroom to see Butch already dressed in his sleepwear, "You're not taking a shower?" Butch nodded and looked at her funny, then said, "No. Why?" She shuddered and sat on her bed, staring off to the wall. "I guess this is goodnight? Good night, Butch."

"Wow. You got my name right," he remarked. Cassidy laughed then turned to face Butch, who turned to face her. "So, Cassidy, if you don't mind me asking, how old are you?"

"Fifteen. No, I'm not old enough to mind, actually. What about you?" She smiled, then stared off to the distance.

"Eighteen," he said.

"Well, you're kinda old," she teased, laughing. He chuckled, "You're kinda young."

"Touche, Biff. Just kiding, Butch," she rolled over and stared at her partner. He observed her facial features: her dark blue eyes, her blond hair, her mischievous smile. To him, she was the prettiest teenager he's ever seen.

"Is it wrong for me to think you're pretty?" He asked. She smirked, "Is it wrong for me to think you're pretty hot?"

"No."

"Well, Hutch, there's your answer. Good night," she rolled over and turned off her light. Butch leaned against the headboard. "By the way, it's Butch, not Hutch."

"I know."

"You know, kiddo? I think we'll be perfect partners."

"Shut up, Bobby. I need some sleep to stay pretty for you."

* * *

**-A/N: Aww. Fluff! Haha. Review please!**

**How is it? I'm a new writer to Pokemon, so I don't exactly how great it is. Just warning you, T for Teen. 'Cos I have a cursing habit in writing. Plus, violence and mentions of sex. This is my experiment on frame writing, which means this story will constantly go back and forth to Cassidy's Team Rocket days and Olivia's time. In one point it will come together, but I'm not going to spoil it for you readers. :) **

**v Review, you know you wanna. v**


	4. Chapter 4

Top of the World

* * *

SUMMARY: _"You may think this may be a temporary thing for you, Biff, but this will forever be a reality to face every freaking day of your freaking life. Once you start, you can never quit. It's like an addiction. One that never breaks, because when you think it's getting crappy, it gets exciting and you get hooked on it all over again. Sure, it has it's consequences, but I'm willing to take a chance and be the hero. Or, in this case, the villain."_ It's Cassidy and Butch, the duo that everyone loves— er, hates. But this is a story that centers on them and only them. From start to finish, the moment they met to the moment they said goodbye. And then the stuff in between the years that they thought wouldn't matter in the years to come. A secret love affair; the truth about Cassidy's past revealed; the missions that tested their friendship; the people that they met; this is the story of two very different people, striving to make a change in the world before them. It's the story of Team Rocket and trials of love, life, truth, and the pursuit of happiness.

* * *

**-Chapter Three: Butch's History **

Butch lay awake in his bed for God knows how long. Insomnia was a bitch, he reasoned. He knew tomorrow would be basically intense training, and sleeping was probably a good idea. But yet, every time he closed his eyes, they would always end up opening a few minutes. Not because he wasn't tired (which he was. So freaking sleepy), but because every time he slept (which was on a rare occasion) he always had the same dream over and over again.

_He was four; an age where children begin to learn the difference from what is right and what is wrong. He was sitting in his room, playing with his older sister, Bonnie, and the family Mightyena. Come to think of it, his mother was there as well. They were laughing, joking around. Mightyena was licking his face; Butch was always his favorite._

_The door opened. Daddy was there; he was holding a gun. Mom screamed. Bonnie sat confused. Mightyena was barking. Daddy mumbled something, "...You stupid bitch..."_

_Daddy never said that before. Mightyena charged at him. Daddy kicked him down. BAM! Mom fell, her white blouse becoming redder every passing second. Bonnie cried. Butch cried._

_Daddy turned the gun to Bonnie, the eight-year old sobbing. Her screams turned silent in a matter of seconds Butch began to panic. He cried; that was too loud. His ears hurt. Why was Bonnie sleeping like that? Wake up, Bonnie, wake up! Daddy pointed the gun to his son's temple._

_Mightyena jumped up and chomped his leg; Daddy fell. Blood gushed everywhere. Mightyena took Butch by the shirt; Daddy took the gun._

_His aim was horrible. It hit Mightyena in the leg (it was meant for his son), but the dog survived it and gathered it's strength to bring Butch somewhere, somewhere safe. Mightyena set Butch down next to the Pokecenter._

_The dog barked at the door, then ran back to the house to avenge Bonnie; Mom; Butch._

_Nurse Joy gathered Butch in her arms, calling after the dog. The next day, a Mightyena was found dead next to a dead man; Daddy._

Butch would always wonder after the dream: was this a memory imagined? Or was it real? He hated how he couldn't remember. Whether it was a memory or not, someone had killed his family. Who? A cold-hearted murderer or daddy? But what was the difference, anyway?

Butch thought about his life so far. For some reason, his mind stressed the memory of the Nurse Joy that had found him.

The Nurse Joy that saved him was nice to him. She was old - fifty-three, fifty-four? - but she took care of him until it was time for Butch to live with his aunt.

Aunt Beverly was young at the age of twenty-six. She was single, never dated, never loved. She was pretty, though. She was fair-skinned and fairly tall at five-foot-eight. She had vibrant purple hair (a trademark of her's) and a nice shade of grey for her eyes. However, she was a cruel person; sadistic, even.

Which made her one of Giovanni's most trusted advisors. Butch didn't mind his aunt. They only saw each other at dinner, and by then she was in a better mood than she would be at daytime. Beverly worked everyday, doing odd jobs for the Team Rocket Boss and traveling all over the country. This made Beverly's and Butch's relationship rather distant, so her sadistic tendencies were never a problem for Butch.

Butch thought Team Rocket was a normal thing. At five, he learned how to eavesdrop on others; at ten, he learned to battle Pokemon ruthlessly; at eleven, he learned to lie without showing obvious signs that he was avoiding the truth; at twelve, he learned to not regret things. In most of his life he lived in Team Rocket. He thought of them as a second family; they took care him, and for that, he was forever grateful.

He sighed deeply, then looked to his sleeping partner. Well, she was supposed to be sleeping.

"You're awake," he remarked. Cassidy was already dressed in her Team Rocket uniform, the blue attire hugging to her body.

"Yeah, it's already six o'clock. You've been awake all night, haven't you?" she said in an accusing tone.

"Maybe, maybe not. Why are you awake?" he countered.

"I had to do my make-up," she said nonchalantly, then said, "If you screw up today at training, I will personally kick your ass."

Butch nodded. He decided to take a quick nap, just to be safe.

* * *

**-A/N: A little insight in Butch's life. You could probably disregard this chapter. But might as well read it, right?**

**How is it? I'm a new writer to Pokemon, so I don't exactly how great it is. Just warning you, T for Teen. 'Cos I have a cursing habit in writing. Plus, violence and mentions of sex. This is my experiment on frame writing, which means this story will constantly go back and forth to Cassidy's Team Rocket days and Olivia's time. In one point it will come together, but I'm not going to spoil it for you readers. :) **

**v Review, you know you wanna. v**


	5. Chapter 5

Top of the World

* * *

SUMMARY: _"You may think this may be a temporary thing for you, Biff, but this will forever be a reality to face every freaking day of your freaking life. Once you start, you can never quit. It's like an addiction. One that never breaks, because when you think it's getting crappy, it gets exciting and you get hooked on it all over again. Sure, it has it's consequences, but I'm willing to take a chance and be the hero. Or, in this case, the villain."_ It's Cassidy and Butch, the duo that everyone loves— er, hates. But this is a story that centers on them and only them. From start to finish, the moment they met to the moment they said goodbye. And then the stuff in between the years that they thought wouldn't matter in the years to come. A secret love affair; the truth about Cassidy's past revealed; the missions that tested their friendship; the people that they met; this is the story of two very different people, striving to make a change in the world before them. It's the story of Team Rocket and trials of love, life, truth, and the pursuit of happiness.

* * *

**-Chapter Four- 1997**

"Hutch, wake up, NOW!" Cassidy screamed at the sleeping Butch. He groaned, then murmured, "...Butch, not Hutch..." He fell back to sleep, rolling onto the pillow so that he didn't have to see Cassidy. She placed her hands on her hips, the said, "I don't give a crap if you're name is Butch. I just want you to get off of your lazy ass and get dressed."

"Such bad language for a teenager," Butch opened his eyes, his vision blurred from the moment of vertigo, then smirked as soon as he saw Cassidy standing in front of him, visibly mad.

"Shut up. Get up and get dressed. It's six-thirty and the training starts at seven. Get up." Cassidy clenched her teeth, which made Butch terrified. He jumped up and dashed to the bathroom, in fear of Cassidy's wrath. She smiled to herself, then said, "Good. Glad to know you'll listen to whatever I say." She pulled out her lipstick, re-applying the coat with another layer, making it seem like her lips were supposed to be as red as roses.

**XXX**

Butch, who had bags growing under his eyes due to his lack of sleep, yawned loudly. Cassidy elbowed him hard, making him glare at the trainee in fury. He was so tired...how the hell would he be able to complete this course?

Kobra stared at him in disgust. He scribbled something on his clipboard, then to Cassidy, he said, "Looks like your partner did not get much sleep last night. Why might this be, eh?" He raised his eyebrows suggestively, thinking that the two did something "inappropriate" last night, if you catch my drift.

"No, no, he just chose to not sleep last night! That's all!" she shook her head in embarrassment and laughed nervously, "We would never—"

"Whatever. But I must warn you, _energy_ and _commitment_ is needed to complete this course! So Botch—"

"BUTCH!" The sleepy man yelled at the drill sergeant. Kobra whacked him on the head with his clipboard, then continued, "—You need to put _effort_ on this course in order to s_ucceed_. Am I clear?"

"Crystal," Cassidy smiled, "Now, what would we do once we're done with this course?"

"Don't get ahead of yourself, missy. This course may take weeks to complete! Not consecutively, of course, but it will take time to _truly_ finish it." Kobra narrowed his eyes at Butch, who looked as if he would fall over anytime.

"Why might that be?" Cassidy asked, ignoring Butch's tired mannerisms and inability to open his eyes for more than five seconds.

"This course needs to be completed in seven minutes or less. Mind you, it is over one mile long. Sure, you may be able to run a mile in less than seven minutes, but you also have to consider the rockwall, the spikes, and the other obstacles that will pose a threat to the completion of the course. And, by the way, this is the easiest trial," he smiled to himself, amused by the duo's shocked expression.

"WHAT?" Butch jumped up in shock, while Cassidy just stared at Kobra blankly.

"It's not too late to go down to the _grunt's_ training."

Cassidy growled, then muttered, "No, never. When do we start the course?"

"Now."

**XXX**

The two dashed to the ropes, Cassidy turning red with exhaustion. This was the third run of the course, and she was sure that this time it was a little longer than the last. Just wonderful.

"Hurry up, Biff!" She screamed back at her partner, who was still struggling with maneuvering through the ropes. Butch, who was too concentrated on the ropes to notice Cassidy's name slip-up, growled, "Well, sorry Cassidy I can't be as fast as you! Wait up for me, will ya?"

Cassidy ignored him and left him on his own. Whatever. She started climbing onto the rockwall, which she had memorized each and every stone: the blue ones will falter if you linger too long on it, the red ones are the trick ones, and the yellow ones are the ones that will support the most weight. The left side of he wall will be easy in the beginning, but hard in the end, while the other one will be the opposite. It was easy, if you really pay attention.

Butch, however, did not see the pattern, and stepped on the red ones majority of the time.

Cassidy, again, ignored her partner and jumped down from the rockwall to the other side. She faltered, the groaned. One last part. The spikes. She zig-zagged through the spikes, almost falling one. The spikes were—well, spikes that were placed in a bunch after the rockwall. You had to try to move through the group of spikes without falling, but you had to do it as fast as you can. She observed the easy way out: go all the way in the same direction.

She ran out of the spikes, and arrived in front of Kobra, who nodded, "Impressive. Nine minutes just for you Cassidy. Quite the speed demon, eh?" She panted, then said, "Yeah.."

"Now, about that Billy, your partner..."

"FUUU—AH!" They heard a voice cry out. A voice that sounded not too far from the spikes... The two looked at each other, then dashed to where the scream had came from. And of course...it was Butch.

**XXX**

"You...are...an...idiot."

Butch was leaning on Cassidy as he limped to the bed, the blond helping him walk. She was angry they had to cut the training short. She almost completed the course, and Butch just _had _to ruin it. She pushed Butch onto the bad and turned around, crossing her arms across her chest. She didn't speak, instead, she walked towards the door.

"Wait, Cassidy," Butch groaned. When his partner had pushed him, he had landed on one of the bedposts. Ow. "Where are you going?"

"The bar," she said, leaning on the doorway.

"Alone? Which bar? You're fifteen..."

"The one downstairs near the lobby. I'm fine. I'm not going to drink. You need rest. I don't want another repeat of today," her voice turned bitter as soon as she said the last sentence. Cassidy slipped through the door without saying another word, leaving her partner in a disheveled mess. He moaned in pain and sat up. Not a good idea.

"Ow! Fu-"

**XXX**

The bar was crowded. Cassidy sat down at an empty stool, pulling her hair up in a ponytail. The bartender, who was drying a beer mug, looked up. He had a sweet smile on his face, his eyes a light shade of lavender, and a skin complexion paler than Cassidy's. He smiled at the trainee and set down the glass. "So what will you have, sweetie?" He took out a notepad and a pen and shifted his vision to the approaching man. Cassidy turned around, seeing a tall, handsome man taking the stool next to her. He smiled at her and flipped his periwinkle hair, showing off his vibrant blue eyes. Cassidy could feel her heart melting at the sight of him.

"Hey Damian, the usual?" the bartender smiled at the man, who began preparing a glass of the man's "usual," a Tequila Slammer. He slid the drink to Damian, who grabbed the glass with ease. Damian smirked at Cassidy, who then remarked in a suave voice, "You know what you want?" Cassidy shook her head, blushing.

"No - no, I'm underage, I can't drink... I'm only fifteen..." Here, the bartender laughed. Damian chuckled as well, saying through bouts of laughter, "You think anyone here are over twenty-one? This is the training school, not the actual headquarters. No one cares if you're underage and drink! Most people here are sixteen or seventeen. I'm seventeen, if you're wondering. Jude, hit her up with a glass of Merlot to start her off."

"Isn't this illegal? Does Giovanni know?" The bartender, Jude, stared at her, then handed her the glass of wine, smirking, "Of course, honey. He built this school, didn't he? So what's your name?"

"Cassidy."

"Well, Cassidy, welcome to Team Rocket's pride and glory. Welcome to the Star Bar."

**XXX**

Butch grumbled as he paced the room, grumbling an "ow" every few steps. Where was Cassidy? It's already...what, one o'clock?

**XXX**

Cassidy laughed in a way only a drunk can - so loud and obnoxious that if she giggled anymore, she would fall to the ground. Damian, still sober, looked at the teen in amusement. He sipped his half-empty slammer and laughed as Cassidy fell to the floor. Jude, meanwhile, looked at them in disgust.

"Damian, I don't think she should drink anymore, at least for tonight. She probably has a training course tomorrow, and to do that with a hangover would be nearly impossible. I think we should bring her back to her room..." Jude said while cleaning up the counter. Damian shook his head and pointed to the blond, who was laughing so hard you would think she'd rupture her lungs. He said, "This is entertainment. Look at her! She's fuckin' hot and drunk! She's lucky I'm not taking advantage of her and that I'm a good man."

"You?" Jude laughed bitterly while slamming the beer mug on the counter, making both Cassidy and Damian cringe, "A good man? Dude, you're just going to do the same thing to her like you did to Chermaine!"

"Chermaine has nothing to do with this! I merely want a companion, a girlfriend. I just want to gain Cassidy's trust first," Damian nodded to Jude before adding, "And you knew Chermaine. She was a bitch."

Jude shook his head. "You only think that because after two months you still weren't able to get her out of her panties. And how would you gain this chick's trust? You told her it would be fine to drink, and that it felt good. After that much alcohol I don't think tomorrow morning will be the most pleasant thing she'd ever go through in her life."

"Hey, don't blame me! You're the one who gave her the drinks. I suggested it, you served it!"

"Bastard," Jude muttered under his breath.

"I heard that."

"I don't care."

**XXX**

Butch limped down the stairs and towards the Star Bar. If Cassidy wasn't going to come up, he was just going to have to get her himself. What if something happened to her? Butch pondered before pushing the bar's doors open. The bar was surprisingly still packed with trainees and he swore he saw Viper and Kobra chatting with the ONLY female drill sergeant in the academy, Lizzy. And then he saw Cassidy. On the floor. Laughing. She brought a whole new meaning to the saying, "One tequila, two tequila, three tequila. Floor."

And he saw a tall, handsome man sitting on a stool, giving her more drinks. Butch fumed inside. He stormed towards the man, ignoring the frequent pain that rushed through him with every step. Who knew what the man was going to do once Cassidy was drunk out of her mind?

"What the hell are you doing?" Butch poked the man's chest hard, before grabbing the drink he was about to give Cassidy and smashing it on the floor. The bar went silent, everyone stopped their conversation, and stared at the turquoise haired man. Butch pointed at Cassidy, who was still laughing on the floor. He raised his voice, "She's fifteen. I don't care if she drinks one or two glasses, but right now she is drunk out of her mind. She's only fifteen. What are you planning to do to her? Huh?"

The man chuckled. He pushed Butch's finger off of his chest, and cocked his head, "Nothing. I'm planning nothing. Is that hard to believe?" Butch stared at the man in disgust. He picked up Cassidy, the teen giggling. "Oohh, hi Biff!"

"What about you? What are you planning? You gonna take advantage of her? Get lucky? How can I trust that you won't touch her?" The man sneered in a mocking way. Butch turned around before heading out the bar door.

"I'm her partner. Don't you dare think I'll take her innocence away." Cassidy staggered before turning around as well. She giggled before saying in drunk tone, "Bye Damian!" She closed her eyes and fell to the floor. Butch sighed and picked her up bridal-style, then walked out the door.

Lizzy, Kobra and Viper looked at each other in wonder. Kobra nodded, then remarked, "Impressive. I don't think I've ever seen a partnership so close ever before. At least at the second day." Lizzy agreed, but then said, "I think that Biff is just a good guy. I don't think it's because they're partners, it's because that's just his personality."

"We don't need good people in Team Rocket. We need that drive to strike fear in the citizens's hearts in our trainees. We need conniving thieves and con artists, ruthless people and excellent spies. Not good people." Viper crossed his arms before looking to Lizzy.

Lizzy rolled her eyes, "Just because Biff isn't the type of person to take advantage of an insanely drunk teenager doesn't mean he's all that. There's a reason why he was chosen by the scout to be in Team Rocket."

Viper smirked, "Well, if you haven't noticed, the scout is an old hag. Who knows what she's smoking."

"I see potential in that boy. Actually in that partnership. Just watch them excel in Team Rocket," Kobra chimed in. Lizzy pointed to him, nodding, "See? He knows what he's talking about."

"Bullshit," Viper frowned.

**XXX**

Cassidy giggled as Butch put her down. They were inside their dorm. Butch was grumpy because he had to walk two flights of stairs carrying the one-hundred-ten pound drunk teen who laughed every freaking second, with a wounded leg, all the way up to their room.

Cassidy smiled and laughed again, "I'm tired." Butch pointed to her bed. She shook her head, then said, "I'm not that kind of tired. I wanna sleep... with you...haha." She ran her fingers over Butch's chest seductively, to which he jerked away from.

"Cassidy, you don't know what you're doing. You are drunk. You are not thinking. You need to go to sleep," he said calmly, shocked by her statement. "Boo, you prude," she frowned and started to walk to her bed. She fell unconscious after two steps. Butch groaned and picked her up, setting her down on her bed. He stared at her for a second, then went to his own bed.

If Cassidy had told that man, "I wanna sleep...with you," would the man take her up on that offer? Butch pushed the thought away, not wanting to imagine what the man could've, no, would've done.

**

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**LONG CHAPTER! WOOT! haha. Reviews make me happy :) **

**v Review, you know you wanna. v**


	6. Chapter 6

Top of the World

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Butch awoke in the middle of the night to the sound of soft crying. Instinctively, he immediately looked to Cassidy's bed. The sheets were scattered all over the bed and pillows were on the ground. His heart pounded as he rushed out of bed, despite his attire of ONLY boxer shorts. He followed the sound of the crying, which led to the bathroom. Twisting the doorknob, he soon found it locked. Thinking the worst, he banged on the door, shouting, "Cassidy! Open the damn door!" The crying faded and the door swung open. In front of him sat a crying Cassidy who held her head in her hands. The smell of vomit was noticed by Butch. Ah, someone has discovered the side effects of alcohol, he thought to himself. However, he soon put away his humorous thoughts and bent down to the crying teen. He then noticed her eyes were red with tears and her breath stank of vomit and small traces of wine and other various drinks she drank. "Hey, you okay?" he asked. Cassidy stared at him and laughed, only to clutch her head once more.

"No," she admitted before closing her eyes shut to prevent further crying, yet it proved to fail, for tears escaped her unwilling eyes. "It hurts. Why does something that makes you feel good hurt so bad at the same time? It doesn't make much sense." She coughed, then looked to Butch once more. She whispered, almost so that he could barely hear. "My mom loved this. She loved drinking. I'm afraid I'm going to turn out like her...am I?"

Butch arched his eyebrows, then said, "I don't know. Never met her." Cassidy squinted in remembrance and flinched in instinct. She was taught to fear her mother.

"Lucky you." Cassidy looked back to Butch's bewildered eyes, but then a feeling of nausea overcame her. She rushed to the toilet, and bent over. Butch followed her and pulled her hair up so that it didn't get in the way, rubbing her back as she vomited into the bowl.

She wiped her mouth with a towel and shook her head, avoiding Butch's eyes. She folded her hands into her lap and shook, tears falling from her eyes. Butch, seeing as she was not going to move for quite some time, leaned over and flushed the toilet. "Why are you crying? Are you in pain? I can get aspirin if you wish..." Again, Cassidy shook her head.

Through sobs, she managed to speak out, her voice shaky and filled with grief, "It's not that. I—I remember when I was a kid, my mother would drink so much. And she would always lash out against my father and my sister, but never me. No, never me," she looked to her partner and smiled painfully, then continued, "One day my father left. He couldn't take her constant insults and put-downs. He took my sister. She was his favorite. Not me. Never me. My mother found a new reason to drink herself to the point where she would pee and vomit everywhere without her knowledge. And in the absence of my sister and father, I became the punching bag. I became the person who would be insulted every hour on the hour. I was the person who cleaned up the vomit and urine. But I did not complain. And every night I would wake to the sound of my mother's new boyfriend enter the house from work, and on occasion the sound of them having sex. And he would leave after seven weeks as usual.

"My mother would drink, and I cleaned and took the punches like I trained myself to resist. One day, my mother's boyfriend—her husband now—took advantage of my mother's habit of passing out do to her constant drinking. Every time she passed out, he would hang out in my room. I thought it was cool at first. You know, having someone to talk to in the house. I thought he was hot too. But one day, when my mother passed out in the foyer, and I was asleep, he came in my room. I thought he was checking up on me, like a good father figure should. But he crawled in bed with me and wrapped his arms around my chest...he touched me, Butch, he did things to me that no eleven year old should go through! It was just touchy stuff first, I begged him to stop! I screamed but it was useless. My mother was unconscious. And then he took his pants off...it was real dark, but—but it hurt Butch. It hurt so bad. He left me in my room after he was done. He didn't say anything. The following morning I had left the house. I couldn't stand it anymore. I couldn't. My mother found me though. Sitting in the rain wearing jeans and a shirt, crying. She couldn't tell. She mistook the moisture on my face for rogue raindrops. And he was there again. I did not think. I shouted at my mom...But she did not believe me. Called me a lying bitch. That night, when I was heading out the door to attempt to leave once more, the boyfriend caught me. He did it again."

Butch stared at her a few seconds, then pulled her into a hug. He whispered into her ear, as if they were old friends telling secrets, "I'm sorry for everything you went through." Cassidy returned the embrace, circling her arms around his back, smiling through tears.

For awhile, the two partners sat in the bathroom hugging each other, until Cassidy mentioned, "Bill, you're shirtless."

Awkward.

* * *

"I'm proud of you two today, really am," Kobra had said, checking off the correct indications on his sheet. He looked up at the panting duo, both of whom had completed the obstacle course within seven runs. Six minutes, nineteen seconds. A record for a duo. The drill sergeant mouth tugged into a smile, something that is rare for him to do. However, his eyes flashed a conniving look that screamed a huge, "Uh, oh." He checked off the tiny squares that ran down the page save for the last one, to which he then explained, "So proud that, I want to see you two do it again. In three hours, so get some rest. No galavanting." He strode off into the west, towards the academy's entrance. Cassidy, still plagued with that awful headache, stomped her foot on the ground, turned her heels, and walked away.

"Hey, Cass, where are you going?" Butch jogged after her, looking back to make sure Kobra wasn't looking. Once he caught up to the grumbling teen, he put a hand on her shoulder and asked, "Where are you going?" Cassidy, eyes filled with anger, shrugged off his hand and said nothing, she walked away.

"I'm tired Bob. I spent three hours vomiting last night. I'm going to sleep. And, you know what?" Cassidy turned around, walking backwards, "You should too, Billy. You spent two of those hours with me. You should've just gone back to sleep!" She turned around to continue walking normally. Upon her sudden spin, she ran into someone, a familiar periwinkle-haired, blue eyed someone.

"Oh, uh, Damian!" Cassidy's face lit up as soon as she recognized his handsome face. Damian flipped his hair and replied, "Hey Cassidy! Nice to see you, after last night. Heard from Kobra you guys beat the time limit! Faster than I did, that's for sure." He smiled, then nodded to Butch, who stood with his arms crossed, glaring at the blue haired man. "Mind if I take her to the bar?"

Cassidy blushed and shook her head, "No, no, you don't have to ask him! I'll come," she paused, then looked back to her partner, "Uh, Barney, wanna come?" Despite her invitation, she really didn't want him to tag along. Butch, reading her eyes, grinned.

"Sure, no problem!" He ran to her, linking arms with his partner, much to her despair.

* * *

Filler Chapter :) aha


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